Libraries Upgrade Technology

Bentonville, Rogers Facilities Add Equipment

Stephen Coler, left, talks Friday about his sculptural arrangement made of foam cups with Gloria Southerland of Fayetteville on the first day of Coler’s Ikebana floral arrangement show at the Bentonville Public Library.
Stephen Coler, left, talks Friday about his sculptural arrangement made of foam cups with Gloria Southerland of Fayetteville on the first day of Coler’s Ikebana floral arrangement show at the Bentonville Public Library.

— Two local libraries will ride a technology wave into the new year with programs and equipment to satisfy even the geekiest library patrons.

Hadi Dudley, director of the Bentonville Public Library, said it’s important for libraries to adapt to changing community interests. That attitude has driven a steady increase in library numbers, with 500,000 items checked out, more than 300,000 library visits and 30,000 program participants in 2012.

“Last year, the library reached new milestones,” Dudley said. “As we review and celebrate an extraordinary year, we look ahead to 2013. This year, patrons can continue to expect innovative services from Bentonville Public Library.”

New services include free music downloads from Freegal, Netbook checkouts for use in the library, book suggestions from NoveList Plus, additional Nook Color tablets for families and a new mobile application.

Web Watch

Bentonville Public Library, 405 S. Main St.

www.bentonvillelibrary.org

Rogers Public Library, 711 S. Dixieland Road

www.rogerspubliclibrary.org

Eight Nook additions, sponsored by the Bentonville-Bella Vista Daybreak Rotary Club, bring the total number of tablets available at the library to 37. The new tablets are geared toward families and children with picture books, interactive stories and educational titles for young readers. Private donations to the Bentonville Library Foundation will purchase three new Nook Color tablets for adults. The devices should be available in the spring, Dudley said.

Robert Stone of Pea Ridge joined 10 other library patrons making use of the library’s technology offerings Friday afternoon. Stone comes to the library to use computers and check his email. He is a fan of the latest technology services, and his wife is more interested in checking out books.

“They have a really good selection of books,” Stone said. “This is one place that I don’t mind my tax dollars going for.”

The library has seen less demand for its traditional reference collection as more patrons turn to the Internet for information. The library will begin allowing checkout of many reference materials to meet that demand, Dudley said.

“A shift from print resources to digital media has changed the way libraries provide information,” Dudley said. “Instead of these volumes gathering dust on the shelves, our librarians prefer to put them in users’ hands and homes.”

Some items like the Arkansas Code, local history books and genealogy materials will remain noncirculating. The newly circulating reference items should be available for checkout in spring or summer, Dudley said.

The new year also brings new goals at the Rogers Public Library. The aim is to raise money for additional computers and software for the library.

The library drew 250,000 visits in 2012, with 430,000 items checked out. Many library patrons come to play with the library’s “zoo,” according to Jeanna Besaw, tech services supervisor for the library.

The “zoo” is a collection of devices like iPads, Kindles or Nooks that patrons can try out in the library to see how they work.

“It lets people see what they might be interested in,” Besaw said.

IPads are available for checkout, but must be used within the library. Many of the devices are loaded with movies, a bonus for busy parents who want to keep a child occupied while working in the library, Besaw said.

The library will host “Geek the Library” on Feb. 2 to help patrons learn how to use new technology devices they received over Christmas. Grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and OCLC will fund the event that will bring in the Best Buy Geek Squad and specialists from Apple, Samsung, Verizon and Staples to give hands-on equipment tutorials. A group of local techies will also be on hand with a 3-D printer, according to Besaw.

The event from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. will feature music performances.

“We want people to know that whatever they’re passionate about, the library can connect them to whatever they need,” Besaw said.

Both libraries started offering the Freegal music service at the first of the year. Patrons can download up to three free songs to their computers or smart devices each week.

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